I "officially" began schooling my 6 year old son this year. I experienced a bit of a dilemma in deciding what grade to "label" him when we began the year. He had turned six in Aug. but, had I enrolled him in public school, I knew I would have put him in Kindergarten. Should I call him a Kindergartener or a First Grader?

I'd worked with him a little bit the prior year at teaching him letters and sounds and quickly realized that it was going to be a frustrating experience for both of us if I continued. So....I let it go. Therefore, there was no way he could be considered a First Grader since he couldn't even name the letters of the alphabet! In fact, I'm sure the school would have declared him unready for Kindergarten! And, frankly, I'd have to agree since the poor kiddos have all-day, five-day-a-week Kindergarten here. My guy needs WAY more play time than that!

So, we began the year excitedly working through the Get Ready, Get Set, and Go For the Code books. Wow! My son was OBVIOUSLY ready now! He whipped through them and was quite proud of himself. In fact, he did so well that I skipped the Saxon Phonics (very intensive and time consuming) program I'd used with my daughter and said, "Hmmm...I bet you could read a book now."

Oh my! Was he excited!? Each day we read through the big Dick and Jane book. In under five weeks, he'd completed his K phonics work and was reading Dick and Jane. I then announced that I was moving him up to First Grade! Yippee!

I bought Explode The Code 1, 2 and 3. He just finished book three last week. I also started him on Pathway Readers. He read the First Grade Pre-Primer with ease and is two chapters from finishing the second (and last) of their First Grade books.

This child, that wouldn't "technically" have qualified as ready for Kindergarten this year and didn't even know his ABC's, will be well into a Second Grade reading program by the time we break for summer. He's loving reading and is quite confident in his skills.

However, had I pushed him last year, before he was ready, or had I sent him to public school, I fear his view of himself would be quite different. I believe he would have struggled, failed, struggled, failed until he decided he was incapable or "less" than the other students.

As it is, just yesterday he declared some activity, "soooo easy".

"Oh, you're just a Brainiac!" I say.

He and his sister break into a fit of giggles.

I love homeschooling!